New York Knicks The promise Knicks displayed in win over Celtics could be key in ultimate chess match By Jared Schwartz Published April 10, 2026, 7:50 p.m. ET New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives to the basket as Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard defends during the fourth quarter on Thursday night. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Payton Pritchard sent a bit of a message to the Knicks.
“If we see them again,” he said after the Knicks’ 112-106 win over the Celtics on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, “we’ll be ready.”
The two teams, assuming they end up as the Nos. 2 and 3 seed (in either order), will face each other in the second round of the playoffs for the second straight season as long as they both take care of business in the first round. Thursday’s game was the final regular season clash between the two, as the Knicks finished 3-1 in the head-to-head matchup.
What did we learn from Thursday’s game that could matter in a playoff series? What advantages did the Knicks have that the Celtics — as Pritchard said — will try to adjust to?
